Early Water Systems at Gran Quivira National Monument

Abstract

From the time early in the nineteenth century when the ruins now known as Gran Quivira National Monument were rediscovered, speculation as to the source of the water supply has been rife. Many are the theories to account for the presence of this pueblo ruin in the midst of an expansive waterless region. These theories range from an assumption of the former existence of springs, now long dried up, to tales of marvelous aqueducts which brought water from a spring in the Gallinas Mountains to the east, a distance of fifteen miles. Recently, researches have brought to light new data in explanation of this apparent condition. It is, therefore, the purpose of this paper to assemble all of the available evidence, to evaluate and present it.